magic

[maj-ik]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR magic ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the art of producing illusions as entertainment by the use of sleight of hand, deceptive devices, etc.; legerdemain; conjuring: to pull a rabbit out of a hat by magic.

the art of producing a desired effect or result through the use of incantation or various other techniques that presumably assure human control of supernatural agencies or the forces of nature.Compare contagious magic, imitative magic, sympathetic magic.

the use of this art: Magic, it was believed, could drive illness from the body.

the effects produced: the magic of recovery.

power or influence exerted through this art: a wizard of great magic.

any extraordinary or mystical influence, charm, power, etc.: the magic in a great name; the magic of music; the magic of spring.

(initial capital letter) the U.S. code name for information from decrypting machine-enciphered Japanese wireless messages before and during World War II.

adjective

employed in magic: magic spells; magic dances; magic rites.

mysteriously enchanting; magical: magic beauty.

of, relating to, or due to magic.

producing the effects of magic; magical: a magic touch.

verb (used with object), mag·icked, mag·ick·ing.

to create, transform, move, etc., by or as if by magic: I magicked him into a medieval knight.

Origin of magic

1350–1400; Middle English magik(e) witchcraft < Late Latin magica, Latin magicē < Greek magikḗ, noun use of feminine of magikós. See Magus, -ic

Related formsqua·si-mag·ic, adjective

Synonyms for magic

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR magic ON THESAURUS.COM

2. enchantment. Magic, necromancy, sorcery, witchcraft imply producing results through mysterious influences or unexplained powers. Magic may have glamorous and attractive connotations; the other terms suggest the harmful and sinister. Magic is an art employing some occult force of nature: A hundred years ago television would have seemed to be magic. Necromancy is an art of prediction based on alleged communication with the dead (it is called “the black art,” because Greek nekrós, dead, was confused with Latin niger, black): Necromancy led to violating graves. Sorcery, originally divination by casting lots, came to mean supernatural knowledge gained through the aid of evil spirits, and often used for evil ends: spells and charms used in sorcery. Witchcraft especially suggests a malign kind of magic, often used against innocent victims: Those accused of witchcraft were executed.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for magic

fascination, illusion, wizardry, necromancy, foreboding, augury, prediction, incantation, divination, astrology, trickery, thaumaturgy, witchcraft, alchemy, allurement, presage, soothsaying, power, enchantment, spell

Examples from the Web for magic

Contemporary Examples of magic

The future Mr. Vergara—and star of ‘True Blood’ and ‘Magic Mike’ shares some life advice in an exclusive video.
Who Is Joe Manganiello? Sofia Vergara’s Fiancé on the Value of Hard Work
The Daily Beast Video
December 29, 2014
Despite all the gun talk in “Hot N—,” everyone wanted a piece of him and his magic.
Bobby Shmurda and Rap’s Ultimate Hoop Dream
Rawiya Kameir
December 23, 2014
Shortly thereafter, T.I. lent his first post-incarceration verse to a remix of “Magic.”
Future Makes Us Rethink Everything We Thought We Knew About Rap Artists
Luke Hopping
December 15, 2014
Captivated by the performers and the magic, she has been shooting behind the scenes ever since.
A Backstage Love Affair With Cirque du Soleil
Allison McNearney
December 1, 2014
In one study, children saw a magic trick where objects placed into one box were duplicated in another.
Why Are Millennials Unfriending Organized Religion?
Vlad Chituc
November 9, 2014

Historical Examples of magic

I have existed in a magic Bohemia, largely of my own making.
Ballads of a Bohemian
Robert W. Service
She has the fascination of great pride and the magic of manners.
The Man Shakespeare
Frank Harris
What magic in the utterance, what a revelation of Cleopatra's character and of Shakespeare's!
The Man Shakespeare
Frank Harris
They had not seen the snake at all, but a stick that came back to the thrower's hand was magic.
The Trail Book
Mary Austin
The truth was that it was only by trusting to the magic of the white men that Patofa could get to us.
The Trail Book
Mary Austin

British Dictionary definitions for magic

magic

noun

the art that, by use of spells, supposedly invokes supernatural powers to influence events; sorcery

the practice of this art

the practice of illusory tricks to entertain other people; conjuring

any mysterious or extraordinary quality or powerthe magic of springtime

like magic very quickly

adjective Also: magical

of or relating to magica magic spell

possessing or considered to possess mysterious powersa magic wand

unaccountably enchantingmagic beauty

informal wonderful; marvellous; exciting

verb -ics, -icking or -icked (tr)

to transform or produce by or as if by magic

(foll by away) to cause to disappear by or as if by magic

Derived Formsmagical, adjectivemagically, adverb

Word Origin for magic

C14: via Old French magique, from Greek magikē witchcraft, from magos magus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for magic

late 14c., "art of influencing events and producing marvels using hidden natural forces," from Old French magique "magic, magical," from Late Latin magice "sorcery, magic," from Greek magike (presumably with tekhne "art"), fem. of magikos "magical," from magos "one of the members of the learned and priestly class," from Old Persian magush, possibly from PIE *magh- (1) "to be able, to have power" (see machine). Transferred sense of "legerdemain, optical illusion, etc." is from 1811. Displaced Old English wiccecræft (see witch); also drycræft, from dry "magician," from Irish drui "priest, magician" (see druid).

adj.

late 14c., from Old French magique, from Latin magicus "magic, magical," from Greek magikos, from magike (see magic (n.)). Magic carpet first attested 1816. Magic Marker (1951) is a registered trademark (U.S.) by Speedry Products, Inc., Richmond Hill, N.Y. Magic lantern "optical instrument whereby a magnified image is thrown upon a wall or screen" is 1690s, from Modern Latin laterna magica.

1906, from magic (n.).